Nang Jáadaa Sg̱áana ‘Láanaa aa Isdáayaan (The Woman Carried Away by Killer Whales) is Sealaska Heritage’s first-ever children’s book entirely in the Haida language, X̱aad Kíl. The traditional Haida story features a hunter who forgets to thank an otter for its life. When he gifts the otter to his wife it comes back to life and swims away. She jumps in after it and is captured by the SGaan, the killer whales. An adventurous rescue begins.

Audio available online https://youtu.be/tp1t_qxfxRs

Nang Jáadaa Sg̱áana ‘Láanaa aa Isdáayaan was translated into X̱aad Kíl by Skíl Jáadei Linda Schrack and Ilskyalas Delores Churchill and features illustrations by award-winning Haida artist Janine Gibbons. Published through SHI’s Baby Raven Reads series, this book is part of an Indigenous language series that features original translations of previous Baby Raven Reads titles. Audio for these titles can also be found on SHI’s YouTube channel.

Baby Raven Reads is an award-winning Sealaska Heritage education program that promotes early-literacy, language development and school readiness for Alaska Native families with children up to age 5. The pilot program in Juneau ended in 2017, and SHI received funding to offer the program for another three years and to expand it to nine other communities in Southeast Alaska.